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One response to “Agree or Disagree: We have a Racism problem in Canada?”

I think we do – I moved from South Carolina to Calgary 12 years ago thinking I was getting away from racism. The person down the street from me in NW Calgary flies a Confederate Flag on their lawn. In SC racism was mostly directed towards Black people – here in Calgary I find it is most often directed towards Native and Asian people. And I don’t think it is the highly publicized events that are the major problem, though they sure don’t help. If one politician makes a statement but no one seems to agree with him, then hopefully we don’t have a large population of racist people. What worries me is the people who did vote for that person – the people who are agreeing with him outside of the media and talking to their friends or family who agree with him. Those people spread their ideals to each other and to their next generation – they spread racism. I can’t believe it is still an issue today but it really is. I feel like addressing it on a large scale is no longer enough – maybe we need to teach children at a young age, maybe in school, that we are all the same. Everyone is equal. Or does there need to be a greater punishment for saying hateful things? But I believe in freedom of speech too. And what about discrimination against sex and disability and as mentioned, sexual orientation? What are the odds this is all going to be taught in school anytime soon? I hope the odds are good because racism will (or will continue to) tear us apart even if we aren’t having a civil war.